


The Tub

by Fyrielle



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Nameless female WoL, ding dong mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 20:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyrielle/pseuds/Fyrielle
Summary: Estinien is relaxing in a tub, supervised by the Warrior of Light who's helping him in his recovery. Things quickly start going very right for them.





	The Tub

He sighed as he slowly sunk into the tub. The warm water was soothing both his mind and body and for a while, the pain subsided. Nidhogg had lost his grip on him, but it'd left more than just scars. He was struggling to regain full control of his body, and even though the doctors had assured him he would recover, he still needed assistance at the moment.

"Is it not too warm?"

Her assistance, mostly. He lightly shook his head, and she nodded in response. The first few days had been hell. Different nurses had tried offering him support, to eat, to move, to clean himself up, to go to the bathroom. He rejected them all, with more or less gentleness.

Then Aymeric offered. He rejected him all the same. His friend was busy enough that he didn't want to burden him with playing patient care. Then Alphinaud offered. He fiercely denied the young man's help. He could tell it had hurt his feelings, but Estinien wasn't especially good at being gentle.

Then she had offered. The Warrior of Light. He'd rejected her as well, at first. But she'd insisted, with arguments he couldn't really counter anymore after a while. They'd been close enough during their journey that he didn't feel any shame or awkwardness with her. She assured him she had nothing better to do, and no place she'd rather be. She had already seen him naked, and hurt, and weak. Clearly, he had absolutely nothing to hide from her.

The beginning had been hard for both of them. Every move was a struggle, every task was a pain. He'd been angry at times, and she lost patience, but they found ways to make it work. Now, weeks later, they were perfectly comfortable, and Estinien was recovering way faster than the doctors had predicted.

He shook his head as he remembered her question. "I am just fine."

She knelt behind him, gently gathered his long white hair and pushed it over his shoulder. He hummed as she pressed a wet kiss to the nape of his neck.

"You do not have to do so much for me."  
"I insist. I want to help you."

She applied her hand to his spine, testing the waters; his skin was achingly warm compared to hers. She took her sweet time to admire the many scars crisscrossing his toned body. No matter how many times she saw them, she was still fascinated. He hissed as she kissed a particularly big one that marked most of his back, like a heavy cross to carry.

"Did I hurt you?"  
"I am fine. This one scar is just sensitive. "

She pressed her palm to his shoulder, starting gentle circular motions.

"Are kisses part of the recovery process, too?" he whispered to himself, almost hoping she wouldn't hear.  
"I can stop if you want me to."  
"I merely do not understand your motivations."  
"Should I stop showing affection?" she asked in a tiny voice.  
"Why do you even have affection for me? I do not understand."

She sighed against his back, a sad expression washing over her face. It always hurt her whenever she had to witness just how little credit Estinien gave himself. No matter how hard she tried to make him understand just how fantastic of a man he was, she always bumped into the cold wall of his insecurities. But she wasn't losing hope her warm affections might end up eroding the ice slowly. It would be a lengthy process, but she was in for the long run.

"You do not have to understand," she finally replied. "As long as you're comfortable with me."  
"I would not dream of rejecting you."  
"Good."

She pressed her face against his back, cheek resting to his warm skin, and wrapped her arms around him. He tilted his head back in response, eager for more contact with her.

"How have we come to this? You and I?" he asked.  
"I don't know," she replied. "But isn't it wonderful?"

He turned slowly, trying to face her. She was looking at him with these loving eyes he couldn't make sense of. Surely this was a mistake. 

"What did I do to deserve your devotion?"  
"Does it matter? Estinien, you're thinking too much."  
"Perhaps."

He pressed his forehead to hers, closing his eyes to better appreciate this intimate moment. 

"Would you kiss me?" she asks timidly.  
"... why would you want a kiss from me?"  
"Why wouldn't I?"

He pulled away from her and immediately noticed she felt rejected as a pained expression took over her features. He swiftly reached for her face to make up for it, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs in soothing motions.

"Listen... You are the Warrior of Light. You could have anyone. Haurchefant was head over heels for you. You'd only need to say the word and Aymeric would kneel to ask your hand. The Scions would all give their life for yours, and be happy with it. Any soldier, any adventurer, would kill to have a chance to be by your side. So why settle for a lowlife like me?"  
"What if you're the only one I want?"

He took in a sharp breath. These were words he'd always dreamed of hearing from her. He'd always wished she'd give up on the rest of the world for him. That she'd choose him in the end. But it seemed wrong. He simply didn't feel like he was good enough for her.

"You don't realize the honor is mine, Estinien."  
"What honor?"  
"To be the one allowed by your side, even at your weakest moment. To be accepted this close to you."  
"I'm nothing special, I'm just..."  
"I won't hear this kind of speech anymore," she cut him and pressed a finger to his lips.

A wave of sadness mixed with relief washed over Estinien as she silenced him. His frown disappeared and the hands he'd balled up into fists without noticing relaxed. His shoulders dropped ever so slightly as he sighed. Unsure of what to say, he decided to let his instincts drive him instead and softly kissed the finger that was still against his lips.

She chuckled in mild embarrassment. He carefully took her whole hand in his, pressing a firm kiss to her open palm. 

"Estinien..." she murmured as his lips progressed to her wrist.  
"Didn't you request a kiss?"  
"I did, but..."

She blushed as the tip of his tongue darted out to taste her skin. 

"Is this not satisfactory?"

She shook her head, her face a deep shade of crimson. He smiled as he felt her pulse quicken under his lips. He glanced at her as his lips made their way up her arm; she was looking at him with half-lidded eyes, quick and shallow breaths punctuating his advance. Estinien had no idea the Warrior of Light would be so sensitive, but he was gaining great pride and enjoyment from this. 

He gently reached for the nape of her neck, pulling her closer as he kissed her collarbones, teeth raking against the protruding bones. She whispered his name so low he barely heard it, and he felt her body shake ever so slightly. As he buried his face against her throat, she finally moaned in earnest, her hand quickly flying to her face to cover her mouth.

"No, please..." he asked while pushing her hand away. "I want to hear it."

Her ragged breathing only quickened at his words, and she felt weak behind the knees. Estinien now kissed right at the angle of her jaw, teeth gently nipping at her skin. The hand that was still holding hers pulled her arm, inviting her to wrap it around his shoulders. She didn't resist. 

"I hope you didn't change your mind," he murmured right into her ear. "Because I am about to kiss you now."

A low gasp escaped her as he brushed the tip of his nose against her cheek. He was so close. Closer than he'd ever been, and she was slowly dying inside; her heart wouldn't slow down, her head was spinning, her legs felt like cotton and her arms like noodles, her stomach tied in a painful knot and thoughts racing too fast for her to grasp a single one of them. She was aboard a high-speed train that was certainly going to crash into a wall soon enough, but it was too late to jump out of it now.

"Is this still alright?" he asked one more time, his lips a breath away from hers now.  
"Please Estinien!" she begged. "Just kiss me already before my body kills me!"

Her words the only validation he needed, he kissed her hungrily, finally.

She held tight onto him, her hands gripping fistfuls of his silky hair, pulling it hard enough that it'd certainly hurt, but she was too far gone to care. Her legs finally crumbled under her weight, and Estinien pulled her weakened body up, dragging her with him in the now lukewarm waters of his bath. He soon trapped her body against the side of the tub, crushing her chest against his torso, splashing water onto the ground as he did so. 

She spread her legs to invite him closer, soon wrapping them around him as she was desperate for more contact. He explored her mouth and body relentlessly, but still respectful of her boundaries, never venturing too close to intimate areas. Yet he hissed as her wiggling beneath him made his blood-engorged length rub against her bare inner thigh. 

It was her who broke the kiss, gasping for air, her breathing raspy and labored. He was more than willing to give her a break to calm down, but she dived in once more and kissed him roughly enough that he was caught off guard, yet so pleased with such a passionate display of affection. 

Her hands were in his hair once more, scratching his scalp, pulling and stroking. She bucked against him hard enough that it separated his body from hers. Whining at the loss of contact, she pushed him against the opposite side of the tub and crushed herself onto him again, splashing yet more water away and onto the ground. 

Estinien was little by little losing grasp of what was going on, spiraling into confusion. Everything was going fast, too fast for him. He was drowning, downright drowning, in emotions and sensations too violent and unexpected for him. It had to stop! It had to...!

"Wait!" he almost shouted in her face as he managed to unlock himself from her hungry lips.

Shocked by this unexpected reaction, she quickly took her hands off him as if he'd burned her, and backed off so hard she bumped against the other side of the tub, sending yet a third wave of water splashing away.

"I'm not rejecting you!" he hastily said while grabbing her hands once more. "I swear I'm not."

Her shoulders seemed to relax a little, but she was looking at him with suspicious eyes. He sighed in return and averted his gaze, embarrassed and ashamed he had to push her away.

"... was it too much?" she finally asked.  
"... it was a little too fast for me I'm afraid. I am deeply sorry."  
"No," she shook her head. "It's me who's sorry. I should have held back."  
"... if anything I am very flattered I made you lose control in such a way."

She chuckled and finally, a smile appeared on her lips again.

"I apologize. I hope this didn't... deter you."  
"Deter me? By the Fury, it only made me eager for more. But perhaps once I'm a little more healed? And not in a cold bath?"  
"Deal."

She stood up and stepped out of the tub, freezing from the cold air slapping her wet skin. Estinien made sure to look away, as her wet clothes clung to her body enough that it left very little to the imagination. She undressed swiftly and wrapped her body in a fluffy robe, swiftly returning to Estinien with a fresh towel. He murmured a word of thanks and extracted himself from the bath as well, a relieved sigh escaping him at the feel of the soft material against his sensitive, aching body.

"Do you have any obligations today?" he asked her in a hopeful voice.  
"Not that I know of, why do you ask?"  
"Would you like to... spend some more time with me? Relax, chat a little perhaps? And eventually er... maybe kiss again?"

She smiled and stepped up to him to wrap him in a tight embrace. 

"That sounds lovely."


End file.
